Armed with indies, Sony sees a new age with the PS4

And it's a hell of a time to be a gamer

One "catch" is that the PS4 doesn't come with the PlayStation Camera, which Sony is selling for $59.99 (UK£44, around AU$62). But if gamers don't get it, are they going to miss it?

"It really enhances a lot of games, [and] I think the good news is that from Day 1, the controller interacts very well with the camera because it's got the LED and that allows you do a lot of different things.

"We have seen a lot of interest in developing for it. There are a lot of people who are exploring various things from voice control, navigations, and because its high resolution, it works really well for that stuff.

"But we want to make it up to the gamer. If you don't want to play those types of games then we don't want you to have to pay for that. We'll tailor-make different experiences for people."

Camera not included

As for whether it's always on, Boyes said it's by a "per software basis, but you can unplug it."

On follow up, a Sony spokesperson reiterated that since it's not required to run the PS4, the camera can be unplugged when not in use.

Peripherals

The PS Vita wasn't exactly Sony's forgotten stepchild, having gotten plenty of airtime as an accessory to the PS4 during the headlining console's reveal earlier this year.

And Sony wheeled out a number of games for the handheld at the beginning of E3, which should, in Boyes' estimation, should help make the Vita competitive yet again.

"Content is really key and insuring that people are getting the kind of content they want to play on it," he said.

"Content is an important one and ensuring that it becomes a key part of the ecosystem. We think with remote play, I think it's literally going to become the greatest peripheral with a console because it's going to allow you to play at your house and with companion apps."

Content and ubiquity are key, says Boyes

As for Gaikai, the streaming service acquired by Sony, Boyes sees it as a big opportunity waiting to rear its head in 2014.

"Once we release the beta, people will start understanding how it interacts and how content can be so much more ubiquitous than it is today," he said. "It's definitely a big, big part of our strategy. Making that content ubiquitous and making you feel like you can consume it from all different places."

Boyes said there are no plans to place restrictions on how developers use the track pad – "we don't like telling people what to do with the stuff we give them" – even if it means some hiccups as its best functions are hammered out.

War is good

There was no give on how many launch titles we can expect when the PS4 is available around holiday time - "a significant chunk" of the 140 due out in the first year, Boyes said.

And though 4K is natively supported in the PS4, the veep gave the expected "it's early still" response when asked if we could expect 4K games anytime soon.

When E3 wraps Thursday, Sony is going to ride a wave of good tidings and, from initial reports, mega pre-order numbers. But Boyes, wearing his gaming hat, said gamers are the real winners of the week.

"There's an excitement around games that started on Monday that has never been felt for 5, 10 years," he said.

"I've been coming to E3 for a long time. It's just exciting. It's fun and gamers are getting so many choices. And I think that the best by product of this big war and battle is we're all raising our game, and the gamers are the ones that get the benefit."